Nissan Leaf EV Powers Japanese Concept Home

Nestled in the carport of a concept home on the doorstep of Nissan's Japanese headquarters is a powerplant that looks remarkably like the Nissan Leaf.

Hooked up to a new 'Leaf-to-house' system, Nissan's all-electric Leaf, with a full charge in its lithium-ion battery pack, can provide power to the average family home for around two days. 

Developed for an emergency situation, such as an extended blackout (a genuine risk for the earthquake-prone islands), the system allows the Leaf's 24kWh battery pack to be connected to the home's power board.

The system draws electricity from the Leaf's batteries through the car's regular quick-charge port, and rated for 6kW, the unit is operated via a 200V single-phase three-wire AC input.

The unit also features a display panel which allows the home's occupants to switch between charging the Leaf, or powering the home from the Leaf.

Apart from drawing power from the little blue hatch, there's nothing special the 'kan-kan-kyo' concept house, and Nissan says the technology could be used with most modern houses.

Nissan plans to offer the system to Japanese-market Leaf owners in the coming year.